Gina Trapani

The TV-Turnoff Network is a nonprofit organization that encourages people to watch much less television with initiatives like TV Turnoff Week, which just happens to be this week. Why the boob tube hatin'?

Television cuts into family time, harms our children's ability to read and succeed in school, and contributes to unhealthy lifestyles and obesity. Here are just a few of the facts:

On average, children in the US will spend more time in front of the television (1,023 hours) than in school this year (900 hours).

Forty percent of Americans frequently or always watch television during dinner.

As US Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher said at the Kick Off of TV-Turnoff Week 2001, "We are raising the most overweight generation of youngsters in American history...This week is about saving lives."

Now, we're not going to get all finger-waggy on ya about the idiot box, but a lot of you mentioned TV in our recent biggest time-wasters thread. Could you do without the tube for an entire week? Would it make a difference in your TV habits the rest of the year? Let us know what you think in the comments or at tips at lifehacker.com. Thanks, Michael!